


Early Morning

by treefrogie84



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mark of Cain, Post-Episode: s10e14 The Executioner's Song, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 09:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3971932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treefrogie84/pseuds/treefrogie84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's early morning musings about taking care of his family. Written after Executioner's Song, can be placed anytime after that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Early Morning

Dean jerked awake, heart pounding as the nightmare forced him awake. Slowly, he counted out breaths and heartbeats, trying to relax back into sleep. Counted Sam's snores and Cas' snuffles. Sam and Cas were here, safe, still asleep. Not strung up in an abandoned barn, waiting for him to kill them. He was here, in Montana, not Pontiac. He opened his eyes and shifted to see the glowing blue numbers, 4:17. Almost 3 hours of sleep. It would be enough. Carefully, Dean rolled off the bed before turning back to pull the sheet back over Cas' shoulder. Sam was curled up in a ball on the next bed, half covered by blankets, but he'd been sleeping warm lately.

  
The case was done, there was no research left, but the mundanities of life still needed to be taken care of. There were lists to make and credit card applications to fill out. Both the Impala and the Cadillac needed oil changes, and Cas said the caddy had been pulling to the right for the last couple hundred miles. Shopping list for both first aid kits and the kitchen in the bunker. He filled out a half dozen credit card applications, time to score some new identities for scams, the current ones were just about tapped out.

  
Busy work. That's all it was. Busy work while he was too keyed up to sleep, Now-Dean taking care of his family in preparation of Future-Dean being unable or unwilling to do so. It just wasn't enough. Future-Dean was too unpredictable, and with Cain's warning tumbling through his head, he wasn't even sure how to protect his family from himself. This was the best he could do it felt like. Watch over them and try to provide a soft landing when he fell.

He idlely rubbed the Mark when Sam snorted before rolling over. It was nearly 6, the others would be waking soon, all soft smiles and concern. Enough time to check the accounts Charlie had helped him set up, the weekly check-in that kept the accounts ticking along. The accounts, once activated, that would keep Sam and Cas alive and legal once he was gone. Sam would have to give up Winchester, but full identities, backgrounds, bank accounts, everything were set up, just waiting for his failure.

  
Cas was starting to stir in earnest now. Time to start the coffee so he and Sam could zombie-stumble directly into waiting cups. Dean got the coffee brewing, cleared his internet history on the laptop, and shuffled the applications into a pile to be mailed later. He pushed back from the table and silently padded over to the beds. Thought about dropping a kiss onto Cas' temple as he pulled the sheet up again; refolded Sam's arm so it wasn't hanging off the bed.

  
He was being selfish, he knew, keeping them near while the Mark was pulling him to the dark side. But they were also the best anchor he had and the best equipped to take him out when he snapped.

  
Sam was muttering now. Time to stop being maudlin and start the day they would see. He gathered his toiletries and went into the bathroom, not making an effort to be silent now. He'd done the daily prep work to keep his family safe, now it was time for them pretend they could keep him safe.


End file.
